HAMPTON ROADS, Va.— There is a lack of resources in some of our school districts to provide full-time armed security resource officers. News 3's investigative team led by Jessica Larche found that due to a lack of funding, SROs in some elementary schools are not full-time. This issue is not just in Hampton Roads but is impacting school systems nationwide.
The lack of resources also stems from shortages in the staffing of police officers overall which is trickling down to a lack of resources at schools
Larche found some local systems are using grant money to bridge the gap in funding and provide districts with more officer resources.
Last year, a six-year-old student shot his teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News. A grand jury report disclosed that Richneck did not have consistent full-time security resource officers at the school.
